June 2004 Update
Hello to All! I hope June finds you all well and enjoying some sunshine.
In my previous newsletters, I've sent mostly information about what I'm doing here in Spain. This month, I'm going to focus instead on letting you guys know what God is doing in me. After all, if God is not working, anything I do is in vain.
When I was thinking about joining staff with Impact Ministries International, one of the things I looked at again and again was Impact's definition of success. It goes something like this:
Success is developing intimacy with God.
An individual who is developing intimacy with God will make an impact on the Kingdom of God.
A team of individuals who make an impact on the Kingdom of God will have a fruitful ministry.
We do not aim for "making an impact" and we do not aim for "fruitful ministries." These two situations supernaturally occur when an
individual develops intimacy with God. We cannot control "making an impact" and we cannot control "fruitful ministries," but we have
absolute control over developing intimacy with God. We must not allow ministry for God to crowd intimacy with God out of our lives.
After almost 5 months here in Spain, I can look back and see how God has been and is currently teaching me this lesson--and not always painlessly! The past few months have caused me to ask some serious "what if...?'s," not just about what God is doing in Spain, but about ministry and life as a Christian no matter where I am.
What if I wasn't busy?
If I want to be successful in doing what God wants me to do here, I need to focus on Him and trust Him to use me where HE is working. The temptation is strong here to fill every spare moment in my schedule with "ministry stuff" so I feel justified in being in Spain. That is just what I had been doing, working myself until I was so tired I couldn't go on any longer, crashing abit, and then getting up and doing it again. In the middle of May, I had a leak in my bathroom and had to sit in my apartment for 3 days waiting for the plumber to come. God used this time to open my eyes to the uselessness of being busy for no reason. It's so easy to look like you're doing something good when you're busy, but who is looking? Do I need to impress the Creator of the universe, who sent His Son to die for me before I was even born? The fact is, there is nothing I can do to justify my! self before God or other people. All the work I do is nothing compared to Him. The work that God has given me is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, and if I am doing that, I am justified. God hasn't called me to be busy, He has called me to be HIS.
What if my life was ministry?
My concept of ministry has really been changing since I've been in Spain as well. So much of my time is spent making friends, doing language exchanges, going for coffee, having people come over to my apartment, etc. How can I call this ministry? This is the question I have asked myself several times over the last few months. I can't think of a better way to explain it than through this analogy.....
Imagine you were adopted, and your Father told you to that He wants to adopt as many more children as He can, and suddenly, you find yourself in a place full of orphans. In this country, no matter how many activities you plan, how many classes about your Father you lead, how much frisbee you play, or how many meals you serve, what sets you apart is that you have a FATHER! When God works, He draws people into His family. My job is to be a faithful member of that family and get to know the Father so people can get a glimpse of Him when they see me. Ministry isn't about attracting people, being cool, or being liked--it is about living in the real world as a real child of God. It's really that simple.
What if I prayed more?
The ETSU Campus House team came all the way to Spain to pray last month, and they were a huge encouragement to me. Of course, it was encouraging to see people from home that have known me for longer than a few months, but the big encouragement was that they PRAYED. They didn't come to do manual labor, to preach, or do plan activities. They came to pray--to ask God what He wants to see happen in Spain and to pray that His kingdom would continue to grow here.
Impact's European staff had our annual conference in the mountains in Austria last week, and we spent a huge portion of our time praying. I came back home to Madrid feeling refreshed and encouraged, and I am confident that the work God did at the conference and is continuing to do is the result of all the time we spent asking God what His direction is and praying for each other.
It is humbling to admit that we don't have all the plans or all the power to do God's work for Him, but it is the truth. God never intended for us as Christians to go and make disciples without Him. The same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is at work when we pray! Prayer is not just something we should do on the side when we have time, prayer is the thing we should start with and continue no matter what we're doing. I have been reminded repeatedly this month that prayer is more than important--it is vital.
and while we're on the subject....
Speaking of prayer, here are some things you can pray about! If you are one of my daily prayer supporters, there is one for each day of the week!
Sunday*Pray that my goal and my focus would be to know Jesus better each day.
Monday*Pray that God will bring along the friendships that He has planned, that will draw people to Him and bring Him glory.
Tuesday*Pray that God will continue to provide for me financially, for living here as well as going to school here in the coming school year.
Wednesday*Ask God to give the Christian students on campus boldness, unity, and a desire to follow God wholeheartedly.
Thursday*Praise God for my friends and church family here, Mountainview International Church. Ask God to bless Mountainview and pray that
we will seek Him together as a church.
Friday*Ask God to raise up more staff to come work with university students in Madrid
Saturday*Pray that God would especially bless my family back in the States this month with His presence and joy.
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Gal. 3:20-21
Praising HIM,
kelly wills
In my previous newsletters, I've sent mostly information about what I'm doing here in Spain. This month, I'm going to focus instead on letting you guys know what God is doing in me. After all, if God is not working, anything I do is in vain.
When I was thinking about joining staff with Impact Ministries International, one of the things I looked at again and again was Impact's definition of success. It goes something like this:
Success is developing intimacy with God.
An individual who is developing intimacy with God will make an impact on the Kingdom of God.
A team of individuals who make an impact on the Kingdom of God will have a fruitful ministry.
We do not aim for "making an impact" and we do not aim for "fruitful ministries." These two situations supernaturally occur when an
individual develops intimacy with God. We cannot control "making an impact" and we cannot control "fruitful ministries," but we have
absolute control over developing intimacy with God. We must not allow ministry for God to crowd intimacy with God out of our lives.
After almost 5 months here in Spain, I can look back and see how God has been and is currently teaching me this lesson--and not always painlessly! The past few months have caused me to ask some serious "what if...?'s," not just about what God is doing in Spain, but about ministry and life as a Christian no matter where I am.
What if I wasn't busy?
If I want to be successful in doing what God wants me to do here, I need to focus on Him and trust Him to use me where HE is working. The temptation is strong here to fill every spare moment in my schedule with "ministry stuff" so I feel justified in being in Spain. That is just what I had been doing, working myself until I was so tired I couldn't go on any longer, crashing abit, and then getting up and doing it again. In the middle of May, I had a leak in my bathroom and had to sit in my apartment for 3 days waiting for the plumber to come. God used this time to open my eyes to the uselessness of being busy for no reason. It's so easy to look like you're doing something good when you're busy, but who is looking? Do I need to impress the Creator of the universe, who sent His Son to die for me before I was even born? The fact is, there is nothing I can do to justify my! self before God or other people. All the work I do is nothing compared to Him. The work that God has given me is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, and if I am doing that, I am justified. God hasn't called me to be busy, He has called me to be HIS.
What if my life was ministry?
My concept of ministry has really been changing since I've been in Spain as well. So much of my time is spent making friends, doing language exchanges, going for coffee, having people come over to my apartment, etc. How can I call this ministry? This is the question I have asked myself several times over the last few months. I can't think of a better way to explain it than through this analogy.....
Imagine you were adopted, and your Father told you to that He wants to adopt as many more children as He can, and suddenly, you find yourself in a place full of orphans. In this country, no matter how many activities you plan, how many classes about your Father you lead, how much frisbee you play, or how many meals you serve, what sets you apart is that you have a FATHER! When God works, He draws people into His family. My job is to be a faithful member of that family and get to know the Father so people can get a glimpse of Him when they see me. Ministry isn't about attracting people, being cool, or being liked--it is about living in the real world as a real child of God. It's really that simple.
What if I prayed more?
The ETSU Campus House team came all the way to Spain to pray last month, and they were a huge encouragement to me. Of course, it was encouraging to see people from home that have known me for longer than a few months, but the big encouragement was that they PRAYED. They didn't come to do manual labor, to preach, or do plan activities. They came to pray--to ask God what He wants to see happen in Spain and to pray that His kingdom would continue to grow here.
Impact's European staff had our annual conference in the mountains in Austria last week, and we spent a huge portion of our time praying. I came back home to Madrid feeling refreshed and encouraged, and I am confident that the work God did at the conference and is continuing to do is the result of all the time we spent asking God what His direction is and praying for each other.
It is humbling to admit that we don't have all the plans or all the power to do God's work for Him, but it is the truth. God never intended for us as Christians to go and make disciples without Him. The same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is at work when we pray! Prayer is not just something we should do on the side when we have time, prayer is the thing we should start with and continue no matter what we're doing. I have been reminded repeatedly this month that prayer is more than important--it is vital.
and while we're on the subject....
Speaking of prayer, here are some things you can pray about! If you are one of my daily prayer supporters, there is one for each day of the week!
Sunday*Pray that my goal and my focus would be to know Jesus better each day.
Monday*Pray that God will bring along the friendships that He has planned, that will draw people to Him and bring Him glory.
Tuesday*Pray that God will continue to provide for me financially, for living here as well as going to school here in the coming school year.
Wednesday*Ask God to give the Christian students on campus boldness, unity, and a desire to follow God wholeheartedly.
Thursday*Praise God for my friends and church family here, Mountainview International Church. Ask God to bless Mountainview and pray that
we will seek Him together as a church.
Friday*Ask God to raise up more staff to come work with university students in Madrid
Saturday*Pray that God would especially bless my family back in the States this month with His presence and joy.
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Gal. 3:20-21
Praising HIM,
kelly wills
posted by kelly_w at 10:59 AM
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